A misunderstood relationship: Shirley Sherrod, the dog whistle from the far right and 22 statistics that explain the demise of the American middle class.

A preface to this post: There are so many titles and directions this post could go in. I’m almost tempted to title this post “The New Southern Strategy” or the ‘New Compromise of 1877” and talk about how historical events serve as the backdrop to what the far right is doing now in going after the administration and the NAACP. While these topics would be interesting to explore, and I may do so later, I want to focus on the economics of the situation at hand here as I feel that is behind all of the brouhaha around the race question. There are some folks working overtime to keep the race issue up front and center as they desperately want to retake majorities in the fall election. There’s a reason for that and it has little to do with taking back America and all of the other nonsense that’s constantly bantered about.

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Given the our current economic malaise, there have been a number of pundits who’ve suggested that the US will ultimately go to war to divert the attention of the people from their economic predicament. These pundits didn’t realize that while on the way to war, the political discourse would stop by a way station known as race in America. The dog whistles from the far right signal that we’ve arrived at this stop and I suppose we’ll have to stay here a little way while they attempt to change the conductor. Apparently, the current conductor (Obama) doesn’t appear amenable to traveling to a way station that involves war with Iran and says he wants to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible. That doesn’t fit the agenda of those who economics are based on war and conquest. I’m convinced that all of the clamoring about race from the right isn’t really about race anymore than war with Iran is about nuclear weapons. These are both just diversions. Issues of race and class in America have always had the backdrop of money behind them without exception

What would we be talking about if it weren’t for tea parties, NAACP “racism”, Shirley Sherrod, socialism and etc.? That’s what I call a pregnant question as once you ask it, many possible answers present themselves.

I’m a great believer in looking for news in places other than the headlines. The fact of the matter is that what is frequently called “the news” is nothing but a diversion and with the economic times being as they are, there’s more of a need to divert the public from the real issues that have contributed to the conditions, otherwise folks might begin thinking about the how and why of their circumstances. Here are some statistics that are fairly sobering about the relative economic health of the average American citizen. These statistics are evidence of at least two things: 1) A citizen who has been systematically ravaged by the federal reserve’s incessant money printing and credit creation which were used as substitutes for income growth and jobs and 2) A citizen who has been made to pay by a system that has allowed wealth accumulation to be consolidated in the hands of a few by a variety of means (deregulation, outsourcing, lobbies, tax policies and etc.):

1. 83 percent of all U.S. stocks are in the hands of 1 percent of the people. 2. 61 percent of Americans "always or usually" live paycheck to paycheck, which was up from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007. 3. 66% of the income growth between 2001 and 2007 went to the top 1% of all Americans. 4. 36 percent of Americans say that they don’t contribute anything to retirement savings. 5. A staggering 43 percent of Americans have less than $10,000 saved up for retirement. 6. 24% of American workers say that they have postponed their planned retirement age in the past year. 7. Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008. 8. Only the top 5 percent of U.S. households have earned enough additional income to match the rise in housing costs since 1975. 9. For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together. 10. In 1950, the ratio of the average executive’s paycheck to the average worker’s paycheck was about 30 to 1. Since the year 2000, that ratio has exploded to between 300 to 500 to one. 11. As of 2007, the bottom 80 percent of American households held about 7% of the liquid financial assets. 12. The bottom 50 percent of income earners in the United States now collectively own less than 1 percent of the nation’s wealth. 13. Average Wall Street bonuses for 2009 were up 17 percent when compared with 2008. 14. In the United States, the average federal worker now earns 60% MORE than the average worker in the private sector. 15. The top 1% of U.S. households own nearly twice as much of America’s corporate wealth as they did just 15 years ago. 16. In America today, the average time needed to find a job has risen to a record 35.2 weeks. 17. More than 40% of Americans who actually are employed are now working in service jobs, which are often very low paying. 18. For the first time in U.S. history, more than 40 million Americans are on food stamps, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that number will go up to 43 million Americans in 2011. 19. This is what American workers now must compete against: in China a garment worker makes approximately 86 cents an hour and in Cambodia a garment worker makes approximately 22 cents an hour. 20. Despite the financial crisis, the number of millionaires in the United States rose a whopping 16 percent to 7.8 million in 2009. 21. Approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 – the highest rate in 20 years. 22. The top 10% of Americans now earn around 50% of our national income.

These measures outline clearly the fact that the average citizen doesn’t have a lot of room between a lost paycheck and being out on the street as there’s little or no financial cushion in savings or investment. However, there is a lot of debt.

These conditions didn’t arise in the last 18 months since Obama took office, but were put in place over time starting with the oil and inflation shocks of the 1970’s and ending with the on-going financial collapse that we’re currently grappling with. There are specific people and policies that account for these conditions and if it weren’t for the diversions, much of our focus and conversation would revolve around these things.

That can’t be allowed to happen, so the tea party and the far right enter with a diversion— race, which is the third rail of American politics. Again, as I indicated in a previous post, even race issues have a limited shelf life, so expect the far right to attempt to keep the initiative here. Note how they got the tea party spat out of the airways with the story about USDA’s Shirley Sherrod’s firing in less than 24 hours. Last week this time, they were harping about the Black Panthers and next week this time it will be something else. We’ve got about a month of this, then they’ll check Obama’s poll ratings to assess damage.

Of course, in the interim, the 22 statistics listed above continue to go unaddressed, and more importantly, un-discussed. You really can’t discuss them without assessing those persons and institutions that got us here. Folks of all political persuasions contributed to this mess, but those on the political right are well represented among them. This is what they don’t want the citizens either thinking about or talking about. One can’t really think or talk about any of this without clamoring for the sorts of changes that will prevent this from occurring again. They don’t want that discussion on the table. They want to create some fictional issues and establish them as facts on the ground, hence they want race and tea parties filling the airways as the issues of the day.

The one thing I fault the administration in all of this is allowing these people to force knee jerk reactions to this false agenda they’ve created. The only way this can be countered is to establish the true facts on the ground beginning with the 22 statistics listed above while launching into a full frontal assault on why the republicans were holding up the unemployment extension for not being “paid for” when they’re the very ones who’ve created the massive debt we’re in because they never paid for a number of items. Supply side economics, pushed by the Reagan administration, was the single greatest contributor to the national debt along with Bush’s policies. They need to hang that around these guys’ neck like a bad piece of jewelry. They also need to attack them on every position they’ve espoused and expose their hypocrisy and lies rather than waltz on the battlefield set up by the opposition and expect to win. They need to trust that the people can interpret the facts.

The problem is that Obama and the democrats have never behaved as if they’re the majority and Obama seems afraid to use the bully pulpit of the presidency. This is the time to go for it and set all fears aside. If he’s going to be a one-term president, he’s not going to avoid it by playing it safe. It is time that he go boldly after his foes and if he’s a one termer, so be it.

I am given to assume that you focus your article on the “Right Wing” because those who they are attacking at this point represent “The Black Interests”.

Is this what you are alleging?

From where I stand – the NAACP doesn’t represent the “Black Interests”.
Instead they are better understood as ‘Leftists” who are selling the notion that a platform of leftist positions represent the pathway to the acquisition of the Black Best Interests.

I also believe that it is the job of the Black Rank & File to evaluate the EFFICACY of this claim lest we remain stuck in the wilderness – following behind the whims of this leadership.

When I see the dust up between the Tea Party and the NAACP – I see one group that is attacking Obama and another group who’s stated position is to obtain “social justice’ for Black people by supporting Obama – and the rest of the Democratic/Progressive establishment machine that already controls every institutional seat within Black America.

I get the sense, Greg L, that you are not predisposed to call out the NAACP (and the Black Establishment) for what they are. Worst of all – they stand largely unaccountable for the present condition over what they have been charged to manage.

As you enumerate the painful facts about how Americans live – Why demphasize the NAACP’s choice to see the BIGGEST THREAT to the Black Interests as coming from the Tea Party? This following 8 years of attacks upon George W. Bush at their convention. Today its the Tea Party – a group of mostly White folks that chose to assemble yet have no official power.

At what point should I consider myself and my community as being “used” for someone else’s agena?

I’m glad to see you man. I’ve missed seeing your posts in throughout the blogosphere and have always found them to be thought provoking. I do hope that you get back to posting comments as I, for one, appreciate your perspective even if I don’t always agree. Yours is a important voice and I’d prefer to hear it rather than not.

Here’s my response:

“I am given to assume that you focus your article on the “Right Wing” because those who they are attacking at this point represent “The Black Interests”.“

I suppose that we need to arrive at an operative definition of black interests. You would define that as safe streets, effective schools and etc. I don’t disagree with that definition and if defined as such, it would be a stretch to say that black interests were at play here. However, black folks are “in play” for a larger agenda beyond the race issue. The race issue is only being played as part of a larger strategy by those who oppose the administration in an effort to gain the majority in November.

When I see the dust up between the Tea Party and the NAACP – I see one group that is attacking Obama and another group who’s stated position is to obtain “social justice’ for Black people by supporting Obama – and the rest of the Democratic/Progressive establishment machine that already controls every institutional seat within Black America. I get the sense, Greg L, that you are not predisposed to call out the NAACP (and the Black Establishment) for what they are. Worst of all – they stand largely unaccountable for the present condition over what they have been charged to manage”

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve looked at the NAACP’s financial statements and at some point, I’m going to put together a post explaining their support base. The issue is that if you were to take the NAACP, the Urban League, Al Shapton, the CBC or any conservative group of black folks, you’re going to find the same thing. None of them are owned by us because all are funded outside of the community and that means the agenda is formed outside of the community and given to any of these to implement. Nearly every black politician who gains office is not funded by us, but is funded by those outside of the community and is given an agenda to execute on from without. One can never impose accountability if he doesn’t control the economics. What we have across the board is people who are paid representatives to us and not for us.

IMO, the issue is not progressive politicies or even conservative politics as we own neither but have what is basically a proxy war occurring between the two sides with the agenda that’s being executed upon being driven by which side has the most money behind it, which happens to be the left right now. Most black folks aren’t facile with the nuances between left and right and are only aware of what’s been presented before them. The bottom line is that we’re not in any way, shape or form in control of the politics of the community, notwithstanding what “appears” to be the case. Appearances, in this case, are deceiving.

The blame for this lies not with the black establishment, but us. I maintain that the hurdle for leadership is low in the black community and all that has to occur is someone doing something that’s effective–something that’s postively effective in addressing an issue. It could be opening a business and employing some folks, it could be organizing a block patrol group, creating an afterschool program to tutor kids and etc. The only thing is that whatever it is has to be effective at addressing some issue. This is leadership and not what some politician or the NAACP might do. I’d hazard to guess that a group of people doing anything effective in the community would have these guys jumping on the bandwagon trying to catch a ride as it would be something that they haven’t done and couldn’t do for a variety of reasons. Now, that’s micro scale type stuff and is not driven by left, right, tea parties, NAACP or anything other than what we chose to do. We don’t have to ask permission or even criticize anyone. We can just execute and in the process of actually doing something put whomever needs to be put on trial on trial. When presented with the difference between someone who’s actually done something to help versus the paid representatives who’ve not helped, the people will always know the difference and they’ll conduct the trial without any prompting.

On the macro scale, there are tactics and tones that are set that can danger all of us. For example, I’m convinced that the far right is running a series of “black racism” stories as a cover for a larger agenda they don’t wish to reveal. For them, “black racism”, “socialism” and etc represent their effort to set off a fire in the “Reichstag” and that’s highly disturbing and a dangerous turn in American politics. This is something that effects us all. Now, I don’t have an issue with a reasoned policy difference with the adminstration. As a matter of fact, a reasoned policy difference would do much to refresh our democracy, but that’s not what they’re interested in. If it were, they’d be doing that. They’re seeking to fan the flames of dissent such that the administration can’t govern. I find that extremely destructive for the nation as a whole and borderline treasonous.

You are essentially arguing the same point that I am regarding the “ownership” and agenda of these groups.

The key point that we appear to disagree upon is related to the PUNITIVE CONSEQUENCES applied to them by the Black rank and file for using us, dragging us along on their battles. We are mercenaries in that regard.

It comes as no surprise that balance of Black political blogs are fully engulfed in the pitched battle between the NAACP and Tea Parties – each of them taking sides in line with their ideology. In aggregate few of their content contributors are able to take a step back to note that they are playing in the Malcolm X political football game where they are now starters.

The Black rank and file needs to SNATCH AWAY the attention that has been hijacked away from our community’s problems. These people desire the UNITY that comes from fighting against outside forces. They have failed to primarily focus on the internal issues because they realize that many toes will be stepped upon.

Where I stand – there needs to be an internal rumble. People’s ASSUMPTIONS need to be put on trial as they are forcibly made to PROVE that they have delivered what they promised.

Absent this effort – the power in the American Political Domain will not transfer into benefit for our community.

“If we remain poor and dependent, the riches of other men will not avail us. If we are ignorant, the intelligence of other men will do but little for us. If we are foolish, the wisdom of other men will not guide us. If we are wasteful of time and money, the economy of other men will only make our destitution the more disgraceful and hurtful. “

Frederick Douglass

“If you form the habit of going by what you hear others say about someone, or going by what others think about someone, instead of searching that thing out for yourself and seeing for yourself, you will be walking west when you think you’re going east, and you will be walking east when you think you’re going west. This generation, especially of our people, has a burden, more so than any other time in history. The most important thing we can learn to do today is think for ourselves.”